Overview of Australia’s aid program to Sub-Saharan Africa

How we are helping

2014/15 Bilateral Budget Estimate$106.0 million

2015/16 Bilateral Budget Estimate$31.8 million

2015/16 Total Australian ODA Estimate$93.9 million

DFAT will manage an estimated $31.8 million in bilateral funding to Sub Saharan Africa in 2015-16. Total Official Development Assistance to Sub Saharan Africa in 2015-16 will be an estimated $93.9 million.

The website will be updated to reflect priorities following discussions with our partners. These priorities will be detailed further in a new Sub Saharan Africa Aid Investment Plan which will be finalised by no later than 30 September 2015.

Extractives for growth

Australian aid is supporting enabling environments to attract and retain investment. We are building skills to regulate and manage the extractives sector to give business increased certainty, while improving mining revenue management and overall governance. Our assistance draws on Australia’s highly relevant expertise, which we then share with our African partners. We are also partnering with governments, industry and communities to ensure the benefits of mining are shared equitably.

Agricultural productivity

Australia is supporting market development to promote growth and improve livelihoods. Our program focuses on better research and innovative technology adoption, and on boosting private sector activity. Australia is sharing highly relevant technical, research and agri-business expertise, including through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Australia Awards

Australia is investing in human capacity and African leadership through a substantial but targeted Australia Awards program. Australia Awards will complement our other initiatives and will focus on extractives, agricultural productivity and public policy. The Australia Awards program in Africa has a strong focus on gender equality, women’s leadership and participation and disability inclusiveness.

Civil society engagement

Australia is engaging with non-government organisations (NGOs) to provide community based interventions to poor and marginalized people in Africa. Support to NGOs in Africa is primarily through the Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme, the Australia NGO Cooperation Program and the Direct Aid Program.

Humanitarian assistance

Australia is a responsive and responsible provider of humanitarian assistance to communities in Africa affected by crises. Most crises in Africa are multi-faceted, often involving food insecurity, political instability, armed conflict and displacement. Where possible, DFAT links our life-saving assistance to longer-term efforts to build resilience in communities exposed to protracted crises.

Our results

Australia is helping to improve the capacity of Africans, particularly in the extractives and agricultural sectors. In 2013-14, the Sub-Saharan Africa aid program provided training, technical assistance and study tours to African government officials. In addition, the program provided 974 Australia Award long and short course scholarships across 51 countries, predominantly in extractives and agricultural productivity.

43,939 poor men and women gained access to and were using agricultural technologies and Australia assisted 210,836 poor women and men to increase their access to financial services.

Australia worked to improve the lives of Africans living in poverty by increasing access to safe water for 375,577 women and men, and basic sanitation to 158,850 women and men. Australia aid also assisted 71,972 women to give birth with a skilled birth attendant present.

Australia is a responsive provider of humanitarian assistance and in 2013-14 provided through our trusted partners over 3.5 million instances of life saving assistance.

Beth Wanjero talks to an adviser from the sustainable development initiative about points raised in the training manual relating to her farm near Gilgil, Kenya (credit: DFAT).

Nejjemba Teopista, farmer of Kayunga and farmer's group animator, holding her hoe after working in a communal garden at Kangulumira where food is grown to feed the poor and sick (credit: Sean Sprague, CARITAS).